Paying for care in your home

Councils provide upfront information on how much people can expect to pay for home care and how charges are worked out. This information must be made available when a needs assessment is carried out. Written confirmation of how the charge has been calculated must be provided after a financial assessment.

If you have more than £23,250 in savings or capital, you will have to pay the full cost of your care. The value of your home is not counted when working out charges for non-residential care. If you have more than £23,250, you should tell Adult Social Care when your savings are likely to fall below this amount.

The council calculates charges in accordance with national eligibility criteria set by the Government. This ensures people are only required to pay what they can afford, taking into account capital, income and expenditure.

Your assessment looks at how much money you have coming in, gives an allowance (set by the Government) for everyday living expenses and makes allowance for disability-related expenditure. This is the extra amount you spend as a result of your disability or illness. Adult Social Care can help you to identify these costs. They will also carry out a full benefit check and, if you want them to, assist you with claiming your full entitlement.

Figures mentioned here may change over the lifetime of this Directory.

Non-means-tested care and support

Care provided by the NHS is free; for example, services provided by a community or district nurse. Some people do not have to pay towards care services. For example, aftercare services provided under section 117 of the Mental Health Act are free of charge.

If you need care or support, you may be eligible to claim Attendance Allowance (AA) or Personal Independence Payments (PIP). AA and PIP are nonmeans-tested benefits. Provided you are eligible, you can receive AA or PIP regardless of how much income or capital you have. AA is payable to people over the age of 65 and PIP to those aged 16 to 64. There are different rates that can be awarded, dependent on the level and type of help you need.

These can be found at www.gov.uk

Other ways to fund your care and support

It is important to seek independent financial advice if you are paying for your own care and support. There are independent financial advisers that focus specifically on care funding advice, often referred to as specialist care fees advisers. They are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and must stick to a code of conduct and ethics and take shared responsibility for the suitability of any product they recommend.

The Society of Later Life Advisers (SOLLA)

Aims to assist consumers and their families in finding trusted, accredited financial advisers who understand financial needs in later life. Web: www.societyoflaterlifeadvisers.co.uk

The Money Advice Service

A free and impartial money advice service set up by the Government. Tel: 0800 138 7777 Web: www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk

Further information on paying for care can be found beginning on page 42.